FIFA VP Webb indicted in US racketeering probe

Eight other FIFA officials, five businessmen face charges

A 47-count U.S. federal court indictment revealed Wednesday morning has alleged that FIFA Vice President and Cayman Islands resident Jeffrey Webb took part, along with at least eight other high-ranking FIFA officials, in a decades-long corruption and racketeering scheme.

The ultimate goal of the corrupt practices, according to federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York State, was to ensure certain sports marketing and promotions companies received exclusive rights connected to the commercialization of international football tournaments. In exchange, bribes and kickbacks were paid to FIFA officials, the indictment alleges.

Seven FIFA officials, including Webb, were arrested in Zurich, Switzerland just before the organization’s annual meeting, federal prosecutors confirmed.

FIFA, or the Federation Internationale de Football Association, is world football’s governing body.

According to a press release issued Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Justice: “Two generations of soccer officials abused their positions of trust for personal gain, frequently through an alliance with unscrupulous sports marketing executives who shut out competitors and kept highly lucrative contracts for themselves through the systematic payment of bribes and kickbacks.

“All told, the soccer officials are charged with conspiring to solicit and receive well over US$150 million in bribes and kickbacks in exchange for their official support of the sports marketing executives who agreed to make the unlawful payments.”

Most of the schemes alleged relate to bribes paid to FIFA officials from the marketing executives in connection with the commercialization of media and marketing rights associated with various tournaments including the FIFA World Cup, the Gold Cup, the Copa America and other tournaments held in North and Latina America.

Other bribery schemes related to the selection of the host country for the 2010 World Cup and the 2011 FIFA presidential election.

An indictment in U.S. federal court is merely an accusation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

In addition to the arrests in Switzerland, the Miami, Florida headquarters of CONCACAF, FIFA’s North and Central American and Caribbean regional operation, were being searched Wednesday morning.

The indictments were made against three distinct categories of defendants: FIFA officials, sports media and marketing executives and businessmen and bankers who are alleged to have laundered money from the bribes.

“The indictment alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic and deep rooted, both abroad and…in the United States,” U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement. “It has profoundly harmed a multitude of victims, from the youth leagues and developing countries that should benefit from the revenue generated by the commercial rights these organizations hold, to the fans at home and throughout the world whose support for the game makes those rights valuable.”

Current FIFA President Joseph “Sepp” Blatter was not named among the indicted defendants on Wednesday. However, federal prosecutors indicated the case was ongoing and that other arrests and charges could be forthcoming.

Those named in unsealed indictments Wednesday were:

*Jeffrey Webb: Current FIFA Vice President, CONCACAF [North and Central American and Caribbean region for FIFA] president, and Cayman Islands football association president.

*Costas Takkas: Webb’s attaché and former Cayman Islands football association general secretary.

*Hugo and Mariano Jinkis: Controlling principals of Argentina-based Full Play Group S.A., a sports marketing business

*Jose Margulies: Controlling principal of Valente Corp. and Somerton Ltd. This defendant is alleged to have served as an intermediary in facilitating payments between FIFA officials and marketing executives.

Four other individuals, unbeknownst to the general public, had already pleaded guilty in connection with the ongoing investigation, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. Their cases were kept under seal until the arrests in Zurich and subsequent indictments.

Those individuals include:

*Daryll Warner: The son of defendant Jack Warner, a former FIFA development officer who pleaded guilty in July 2013 to wire fraud.

*Daryan Warner: Pleaded guilty in October 2013 to three criminal counts including wire fraud and money laundering.

*Charles Blazer: The former CONCACAF general secretary pleaded guilty in November 2013 to 10-count indictment alleging racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering and income tax evasion.

*Jose Hawilla: The owner and founder of Traffic Group, a Brazilian sports marketing multinational, pleaded guilty in December 2014 to a four-count indictment alleging racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice. The company Traffic Sports USA and Traffic Sports International also pleaded to wire fraud conspiracy earlier this month.

FIFA issued the following statement Wednesday regarding the arrests and indictments: “FIFA welcomes actions that can help contribute to rooting out any wrongdoing in football. We understand that today’s actions by the Swiss Federal Office of Justice on behalf of the U.S. authorities and the Swiss Office of the Attorney General (initiated by FIFA through the submission of the file on the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process) relate to different matters.

“Firstly, the arrest of six individuals this morning in Zurich concerns investigations by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of the State of New York. The Swiss authorities, acting on behalf of their U.S. counterparts, arrested the individuals for activities carried out in relation with CONCACAF and CONMEBOL business.

“The second instance follows FIFA’s initiative of presenting the file on the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process to the Swiss Office of the Attorney General in November 2014. The authorities are taking the opportunity of the FIFA Congress to interview those FIFA Executive Committee members who are not Swiss residents who voted back in 2010 and are still in office.

“Today, the Swiss Office of the Attorney General announced that it has opened criminal proceedings against persons unknown in relation to the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup™ bidding process. FIFA is fully cooperating with the investigation and is supporting the collection of evidence in this regard. As noted by the Swiss authorities, this collection of evidence is being carried out on a cooperative basis.

“We are pleased to see that the investigation is being energetically pursued for the good of football and believe that it will help to reinforce measures that FIFA has already taken.”

NO COMMENTS

If it has anything to do with washing money, a Caymanian name will be called for sure. For the life and love of all, I do not understand why they will not allow time to get them wealth instead of wanting it all in one day.

I am very saddened to learn this. I have always admired Mr. Webb for his abilities and leadership, and he has done so much for football and for other worthy initiatives here in Cayman. I stand by him and his family. I know that they will come through this stronger, and I am hoping and praying for the best possible outcome.

Sadly, this could well simply be a case of ambition over-riding common sense. When Jeff Webb originally got the VP job in 2012 he was warned (at least one warning was posted in comments on this website) that FIFA was a proverbial nest of vipers – maybe he should have listened to that advice?

*Jeffrey Webb: Current FIFA Vice President, CONCACAF [North and Central American and Caribbean region for FIFA] president, and Cayman Islands football association president. *Costas Takkas: Webb’s attaché and former Cayman Islands football association general secretary. This comes as no surprise to those of us who are involved in the game outside of the Cayman Islands. No surprise at all. The executives of CIFA, and the clubs, players and supporters in Cayman need to take a good long look in the mirror as well. The CI government officials directly involved in supporting Webb over the last 20 years need to as well. It has been made very clear by certain parties, including myself, who had been involved in Caymanian football over the years, that things were heading in the totally wrong direction under Jeffrey Webb’s leadership and that his position as CIFA president was being used for his own personal football political advancement, and not the advancement of the game in Cayman. Those warnings have fell on intentionally deaf ears. Now, the entire world is hearing and seeing the results.

Sadly sports and corruption seem to often go hand in hand. Whether it is the bribes it is alleged these people received or doping to improve performance in the Tour de France or Olympics. $150 million seems to be a staggering amount of money. Where did it go? Can we also look forward to the naming, shaming and prosecution of the marketing companies that paid these bribes? If an athletic shoe company (for example) paid bribes so their shoes were the official ones worn or some beer company did the same they are just as guilty as the bribe takers.

David That overriding ambition was very evident to those of us advanced in the game, both playing and administration, shortly after Jeffrey Webb became CIFA president approximately, 20 years ago. Mr. Webb is not accused of being an accessory. He has been arrested and indicted as being one of the main culprits, along with other FIFA administrators of similar positions and history in the game. That ambition overruled, undermined and ultimately destroyed what was a vibrant, competitive and high level football game in the Cayman Islands. Mr. Webb’s position as the president of CIFA is what has been the foundation to his rise in FIFA and that rise has been consistent and spectacular since the late 1990s. If FIFA has been a den of vipers all along, then Mr. Webb has only been an added contribution. And, one of the most despicable things that has been done is to hide behind the youth football and make claims that Cayman’s football has been improved or advanced in any way. That is the most unforgivable aspect of all this in the Cayman Islands.